Annual pączki sale sells out in record time

Alpena, Mich. —  On Saturday, folks could pick up their pączki, but this most sought after fried donut wasn’t around for long.

It started around 4:00 a.m. in the community room at St. Anne’s Catholic Church.

“we had people frying. we had people rolling and cutting,” said Co-chair of the event, Julie Kowalski.

Volunteers ran through steps of creating the perfect pączki. First, a fine dough was created with hundreds of pounds of flour and hundreds of eggs. Once the dough was assembled, volunteers would move it to a warm room.

“it goes to a proofing room which is set at 85 degrees to raise. Then, it’s brought back into the social hall, and we’ve got rollers and cutters, and then, they cut out the pączki,” said Co-chair Wanda Gougeon. “They go on trays, back into the proofing room to raise again.”

Once the pączki rise up, they visit the deep fryer. After a soak, it’s time to let them sit, awaiting jelly, powder sugar, and frosting.

“it’s just a great team effort,” said Gougeon.

Young and old, each volunteer has a role and plays a part. This year was special. It’s the first time all of the pączki had been sold out before the 4:00 p.m. mass. It was a record hour and 25 minutes.

“people look forward to it and, they start talking about it months before, can’t wait to come and get the pączki, so it was a very busy day,” said Kowalski.

The money raised from the sale will benefit the All Saints Parish community as well as the Alpena community in various ways.